Final Declaration on the development of integrated transport corridors Europe-Asia adopted

15.09.2016

The International Transport Conference 2016 «Integrated Transport Corridors Europe - Asia» (ITC 2016) was held on September 8, 2016 in Odessa, Ukraine.

The Conference was attended by the representatives of the European Union, the international organizations UNECE, PS IGC TRACECA, BSEC, GUAM, OSCE, OSJD, the international financial institutions (the IFIs), representatives of the ministries of transport, railway administrations, port authorities, operators and other governmental and non-governmental organizations and institutions of the EU and Eastern Partnership Countries and Asian Region States.

Within the framework of the Conference decision makers and representatives of international organizations discussed the transport policy and the strategy of corridors development between Europe and Asia. The participants exchanged views on the role of transport and infrastructure strategies and their impact on countries and regions as well as the future trends of connectivity between West and East.

Perspective projects and initiatives aimed at the development of priority transport networks, implementation of the joint initiatives in connection Europe – Asia, international policies on transport networks/corridors development were the issues of interactive discussion within the Conference.

Special attention focused on the issue of the establishment of the most logistic solutions by the organization of transportation between Europe and Asia with maximum effective use of transport potential of each participating country.

Within his speech, Mr. Ciopraga touched the role of TRACECA in the organization of efficient logistic in the direction of Europe- Asia. The involvement of TRACECA countries within the orbit of modern logistic networks in the world economy and trade is the key point for further development of the TRACECA corridor. More effective multimodal transport chains promote the increase of competitiveness of the whole TRACECA transport corridor, economic development of the whole region.

Mr. Ciopraga also added that Ukraine has a powerful potential in this respect, developed network of road and railway connections, inland waterways, powerful port infrastructure. Development of multimodal transport, in particular, railway-ferry and RO-RO traffic strengthen the significance of Ukraine in the Black Sea basin, taking into consideration its strategic situation on the border with Central Europe.

Of no small importance is the development of the shortest transport communications between the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea on the example of a container railway train “Viking” along the route Ilychevsk – Klaipeda, and its further technological extension to other TRACECA countries, including the countries of Central Asia, which present a specific example of this project availability.

The participants of the Conference underlined the significant potential for the development of intermodal/multimodal transportations involving ferries and block trains of combined transport.

It should be mentioned that the Conference was chaired by H.E. Mr. Volodymyr Omelyan, Minister of Infrastructure who is also Chairman of the IGC TRACECA in Ukraine.